A recruitment consultant publicly shamed a businessman who called her “doable” on LinkedIn – after he blamed her for the row by saying she had a “sexy” profile picture.

Sarah Jay, who works as a healthcare recruitment consultant, shared a photo from a black-tie career event in August on the career-focused social media platform.

But the 24-year-old was left “furious” when a LinkedIn user privately responded to the post saying “you’re so doable”.

After telling the man to keep his “vulgar opinions to himself”, he justified his behavior and criticized him for sharing a “sexy profile photo”.

The ‘professional’ photo shows Sarah smiling at the camera while wearing a long black evening dress.

Recruitment consultant Sarah Jay, 24, received a private message from a businessman telling her “you’re so doable” after posting this image on LinkedIn.

Sarah Jay decided to speak out about “unacceptable” messages she received from other users of the career-focused social media platform.

She decided to call out the user’s “unacceptable” behavior in a public post titled “the reality of being a woman on LinkedIn” and urged people not to send messages without thinking about the implications.

Many users praised her for ‘calling out’ the ‘shocking’ posts and the majority condemned the man’s behavior – but a small number suggested her photos were not ‘professional’ enough for the site.

Sarah, from Ipswich, Suffolk, said: “This infuriates me. This is a professional photo. It was during a professional event. It’s not like it’s revealing.

“But even if you did, that doesn’t mean you’re capable of saying those kinds of comments. It makes you disgusting.

“I don’t want him to think of me that way from a professional photo taken at a professional event.

“It was just him doing it for no reason. I had already told him “that’s not professional”. This must stop. I’m going to remove you as a connection.”

“He still tried to justify it because my profile picture was ‘sexy’ and it shouldn’t be on a professional platform.

“That’s why he thought it was okay to say such vulgar things because of my profile picture.

“Even though I shouldn’t have justified myself, I felt like I had to.

“I’m open to receiving compliments, that’s totally fine. But keep it professional and there’s no need to make vulgar comments about how “doable” I am. It’s not nice.

‘On a professional platform, I want to focus on my professional skills. This is not a dating site.

The recruitment consultant admitted she wanted to call out the LinkedIn user’s “shameful” language to raise awareness before blocking and reporting his profile, as well as informing his workplace.

Sarah said: “The only reason I posted it was because I had already received quite a few vulgar and strange messages from men on LinkedIn.

“It’s not just about LinkedIn, it’s about other social media platforms as well.

“Obviously, receiving messages like this is disgusting. You don’t expect it, especially from LinkedIn, but it’s quite common.

“It’s disgusting that other people see things like this happening. I also see other articles about this.

Sarah’s post became a topic of discussion, with many praising her for “calling out” the “shocking” posts – but a small number suggested her photos weren’t “professional” enough for the site.

“A lot of people scribble their name and photo to try to protect themselves.

“But I thought, ‘If someone can be vulgar like that and go against their company when they’re representing them, then why can’t I talk about it, post their name and photo and let it be known that this person who works for this company is shameful?

Sarah added that she felt she handled the uncomfortable situation the right way.

Sarah said: “I handled it quite professionally which is why I also posted it to show that you just have to be a bigger person.

“He represents his business and I represent mine.

“If this was one of my private social media accounts, I probably wouldn’t have remained so calm, but since I’m on LinkedIn, I represent my own company.

“I don’t want to appear rude to some extent or say horrible things which obviously would also cause backlash for my company and could potentially cause me to lose my job if I step out of line.”

“I don’t want to put my job in danger. These are such vulgar comments, but it’s still my company that I represent on LinkedIn.

The 24-year-old revealed she had even faced “vulgar” comments at her workplace.

Sarah said: “It’s horrible. Yes, I am a woman. I’m also a younger woman and have quite a few tattoos, which many people point out. There is a certain way to say things and to compliment, not in a vulgar or predatory way.

“With recruiting, it’s sometimes a bit of a male-dominated career. I had a few vulgar comments in the office when I previously worked in recruiting.

“Employees say things about me or even go through my personal social media and things are said about me. It can be degrading.

“It doesn’t have to happen in the workplace.”

Sarah added: “(LinkedIn) users like this are detrimental to the platform. People are there and enjoy sharing their work experience and getting to know each other in a professional manner.

“When you get messages like this, you don’t really want to sit there and post – especially if you’re going to get comments like this.”

Many users praised Sarah’s response in the comments.

One user said: “You absolutely don’t need to explain or justify your opinion to anyone. »

Another user said: “No one needs to behave like this on a platform or even in public. »

A third user said: “This is shocking. »

A fourth user said: “For me the worst part is the failed attempt to associate this with your profile picture. »

Some users, however, suggested that her outfit wasn’t “professional” enough for the platform.

One of them said: “Is he wrong? Yes. Is your profile photo professional? No.’

Another said: “You’re generating interest and comments, which is ultimately why you’re here and why you’re posting this.”

“If you decide to post a photo, post an opinion or a comment, others will judge. It’s part of the game, right? And let’s not always take the “being a woman” route.